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Raserus Tal'therin
Beginnings Born one hundred and twenty eight years ago to Raelith and Lyus Duskblade, alongside his twin brother in a small village called Ivybloom, situated just inside the outer Elfgate. His upbringing was average for a low-born elf child. He was allowed to roam the woods, where he'd learn the basics on how to survive, as well as hunt, fish, and gather berries, herbs, and roots. It helped greatly to supplement his family's earnings every week when they went to market. For some time, his father had served as a Farstrider of above-average station, though his gruff and pessimistic attitude stopped him from gaining supporters required to advance any further. On his sixteenth birthday, Raserus was inducted into the Farstriders to serve alongside his father. His family, a low-born splinter of Duskblade, had served in defense of the Kingdom for many, many years. It was expected of him, and he found himself gifted, and it was no surprise he would succeed, though he often found something tugging at his heart and mind. He didn't quite know what it was. The Early Years As he grew into a man, he had surpassed his father in rank, and became a Ranger-Lieutenant, the first in his family to soar so high. He became quite the pride and joy of his parents, and with his new rank, it raised their standing within Quel'dorei society to what one would call middle-class. In accordance, his parents moved quickly to marry him off to a woman of equal standing; one Valayn Emberfury. This would cement their place in society. The two were young and quickly fell for one another, and were soon wed. They wasted little time in consummating the marriage, and a son was born to them nine months to the day of their marriage. He would be named Raltheris, for Valayn's grandfather, who fell in the Troll Wars. Things were reasonably good between them for the next few years. She continued her studies in the arcane, and he continued excelling in the field. However, as time drew on, Raserus found that he did not love this woman truly. He loved his family, and did not want to fail them... But he felt chained and trapped. When he voiced these feelings to his wife, a rift formed between them. It was not long before they were divorced. Their son was the only reason their families did not suffer for their inability to continue on. He was the culmination of two Houses, and therefore, the marriage was a success, even if it was ended. Raltheris went to live with his mother and her family, to be raised proper. Raserus had far too much of the wilds in his heart, and was scarce from the boy's life. To this day, it still troubles him. The Destruction of Quel'Thalas The day the Scourge came, he and most of his family were within Silvermoon at the market. It was chaos, and he found himself taking his family through hidden alleyways, to keep everyone hidden and safe. Many days drew on as the Scourge moved through, laying waste to all things they could find with a heartbeat. When finally they departed, the survivors were left to pick up the pieces. When the Duskblade family left to return to their home and see what they could scavenge, they found a gruesome sight at the gates. Roving bands of ghouls and zombies. What Farstriders remained were already at work taking most of them down, but one among them all gave him pause. When it turned to face him, shambling his way, limbs twisted unnaturally, flesh rended and tattered... He saw his father. With great sorrow, he put an arrow in his skull, sending him to his final death. His mother Lyus would give him a proper burial, pleading and praying to the Light to save and deliver his soul to what lies beyond. After his burial, they returned home. Not much was left, but they would stay to fix things as best they could, as well as assist neighbors, and the rest of Quel'Thalas as a whole. Kael'thas would return and gather a great many to take through the Dark Portal, but Raserus and his family would remain, save for Taoth, who dared to dream of bigger things. The Duskblade family would rebuild, as would the rest of their people, now dubbed the Sin'dorei. During this time, they drew upon the crystals of fel to sustain themselves, staving off their magical starvation. The War in the North The call to defend their world came, and Raserus was quick to answer. After having been involved with criminal elements for some time, life was becoming very dangerous, he would wash himself of those trappings. By volunteering to fight, he was given a pardon for his crimes. He packed up his belongings and sailed to Northrend with other members of the Horde, and soon joined the Argent Crusade. In the Crusade, he was an outrunner and a messenger, taking missives across the vast land of Northrend, and gathering information for the higher-ups, with some amount of fighting on the side. He saw his fair share of action in his stint out here, and his ability to accomplish his tasks efficiently and in a timely order impressed the powers that be. He became a true Crusader, and found himself the leader of a small group of soldiers. They kept the roads clear, secured locations, and eliminated threats that could potentially become a problem. When the day came for their greatest mission, they were unaware it would be their last. While the heroes of the world entered Icecrown Citadel, Raserus and his group stood outside with many others, staving off the potential reinforcements of the Scourge. As the heroes neared the Lich King, their groups were laid waste by Giants and Frostwyrms. He witnessed his men and women dying around him, all these people he swore to lead to victory. He had failed them. While the battles raged around him, a Giant made a beeline for the breached doors of the Citadel, and Raserus threw himself between it and the monstrosity. An arrow was drawn, and he prayed. Perhaps it was answered, or the true latent powers within him, but that arrow ignited with holy fire as it was loosed from his bow. It took the Giant down, but it fell upon him, crushing many of his bones. He spent some time in the infirmary camp of the Argent Crusade, and he saw that his future was clear before him. This was not the path he was born to walk. The Light beckoned him, and he would answer. Upon his return to Quel'Thalas, he declined a promotion to Ranger-Captain, and left the Farstriders altogether. When his body had healed enough and became strong once more, he sought out Lady Liadrin. On that day, he became a Blood Knight. Not long after this, his youngest sister would meet her end in Murder Row, having found herself involved with the wrong sort of people that Raserus left to avoid. The Journey from Initiate to Master Upon being sworn in, Raserus was assigned to a regiment. He found himself in the Seventh Regiment, where he would be placed under the keen eye of a Blood Knight Master as a squire. She was fierce and brutal, and he found himself tested to a greater extent than he had ever experienced. Some days made his time in Northrend look like a cake-walk. But though her methods were harsh, he was shaped into a fine soldier. In time, he found himself infatuated with her, and the two were wed. No children resulted from their marriage, and eventually they parted ways, as she had higher ambitions than a lowly Blood Knight. His heart took him to her daughter, whom he cared for a great deal. They too were married, and had three children... But she would perish in childbirth, leaving him alone once more. He fell into a deep depression, and focused only on his training and work, forsaking all social activities. The children were raised by his mother for some time. On the day he became an Adept, he met a woman who was also a Blood Knight of equal rank. Her bright and cheery personality brought him out of his dark place, and he was married to her not long after. They had twins. One day, she vanished without a trace, and no amount of searching or favors cashed in would find her. Raserus soon found himself lost to the dark places in his mind. His former mentor resurfaced, having defected to form a group that sought to revive the Sunfury, coerced him into joining. In this moment, one that none know of, he betrayed not only the Blood Knights and his people, but also the Horde. He was branded, and fought with his mentor to further her causes in Netherstorm. They scavenged remains and built powerful structures that siphoned energy of the void itself, which she intended to take to Azeroth and reform it into a world for her and her followers alone. She wanted to become a God. This was the last straw, and he began to see the light, so to speak. This was craziness, this was foolish. What had he done? After snapping out of her control, he'd flee back to Azeroth and return to the Blood Knights. They chose not to demote nor execute him, and would allow him to return to their ranks if he could lure the woman somewhere and dispose of her, and destroy what she created. After returning to Netherstorm and suffering days of endless beatings and torture, he regained her trust. His moment came when they were overlooking her most recent project. Raserus had followed her commands and behaved as expected, never once giving her cause to question him. He had even gotten close to her again, and she spoke of perhaps marrying him once more. Using this to his advantage, he set upon her... And threw her from the cliff. Her death marked the end for this renegade band of Sunfury revivalists, and all were arrested and returned to Quel'Thalas to face judgement. The destruction of her doomsday devices occurred in the wake of their executions. Raserus was gifted with the rank of Master after all was said and done. The Cataclysm This was quite a tumultuous time for Azeroth, which occurred just before his promotion. As a Blood Knight Master in an ever changing world, he'd find himself called to the battlefield more often than not, further and further away from home and his children. During his stints in protecting Sin'dorei and Horde interests, he'd pause to watch nearby battles unfold. A large organization was dominating in the sundered lands of the Barrens. They wore red and gold, and were immensely successful. That caught his interest. Raserus sought them out and found they were the Sunguard. It took a short time of deliberation, but he soon joined them, swearing his Oath and began to don their colors. His work as a Blood Knight was placed on the back burner now. In his journeys and battles with the Sunguard, he would meet many new faces. One of which was a priestess that seemed to make all of his woes and demons disappear. She bore him three children after they were wed, but her wandering eye could not keep her with him. She'd leave him for another, and everything he thought chased away would descend upon him once more. New Lands The Sunguard and the Horde were drawn to new lands, far from their homes. The place was called Pandaria, and it was full of the most unique race he had ever seen. The Pandaren were people after his own heart. They loved to cook, eat tons of food, and drink lots of alcohol, much like him. He found himself well suited to Pandaria, and greatly enjoyed downtime in their taverns, in between battles. A member of his estranged family, from his mother's side, got in contact with him. It was his grandfather, Lathion Tal'therin, Patriarch of his House. Lyus was his last living heir, and had refused him... But Raserus, however, was a prime candidate. After a long talk, Raserus was to shed his Duskblade name and become Tal'therin. After some time of being educated in the ways of nobility, he was given the mantle of Lord and Patriarch. It was a grand moment, one that would shape him and set him upon a righteous path. Shortly after, as fate would have it, the younger sister of his last wife surfaced, and came to be under his watchful gaze. He trained her as a paladin, with methods far gentler than he ever received. As luck would have it, she fell for him, and he in turn not long after. The Siege Garrosh Hellscream grew from a promising Warchief, to a tyrant, and his new Horde became a plague to the world. Various races and military forces banded together to combat him. Even the Horde and Alliance stopped fighting one another to deal with this menace. In the resulting warfare, his mother, who had turned to the path of the warrior, found herself in the middle of it all, with no chance of retreat. She'd fight long and hard, but in the end, the blade of the High Warlord of the Kor'kron Legion would cut her down. Her death would leave behind a daughter, a half-sister of Raserus, for him to raise alongside his own. The Sunguard succeeded in eliminating some serious threats in the aftermath, as the heroes of the world subdued Garrosh. Raserus was left crushed, and spent much time in recovery. It was a difficult time, learning to walk again, but he was persistent. He would not come so far, only to give up. In recognition of how far he had come, what all he had accomplished as an Oathsworn and newly minted Dawnward, the Blood Knight Order gifted him the rank and title of Champion. Not only did he fight for the Sunguard and the Horde, he fought for the Order as well, and brought great honor to them. As this chapter of his life came to close, so did his relationship. The woman that he had trained was now his wife, and she had just given him a daughter. This marriage came to an end not by any outside tragedy, but by his own hand. He had an affair, and it all came crumbling down. The resulting chaos from what he had done drove him to attempt to take his own life, out of extreme guilt, seeking to atone himself for what he had done. His friends among the Dawnmenders kept him alive, and he lived in isolation for some time while the Sunguard determined whether or not he was too compromised to serve. During this time, he and his wife parted ways for good. Draenor and Beyond It comes as little surprise that his heart would take him to another, but this one he felt was quite different from those that came previous. They were both tortured souls that had endured much in their lives, and it brought them close together. They would marry not long before the Dark Portal was altered and opened from a new Draenor, and afterward, he and the Sunguard would journey through. Many enemies were made, and many battles were fought, and new life took root on Azeroth. As the final battles raged on, they would see him progressively battered and beaten until he fell in battle not long after one of his superiors. Raserus was placed on the long road to recovery soon after, where his deranged brother would rise up and take the House from him. His time in Outland among unsavory factions and individuals had changed him, corrupted him. His disappearance during the Cataclysm only sought to make more wary of him, as there were rumors he had been involved in the Twilight Cult. He was most definitely no longer the brother he grew up with, and he brought great strife to their family and their village on Tal'therin lands. Many were starved, and they were all poor, robbed blind by Taoth. His healing was beset with complications as he tried to push himself back into shape before he was ready, further postponing the fight to retake that belonged to him by weeks, but he was ever so persistent. Long before he should have been ready, he returned to his home and challenged Taoth to a duel. It was rough, but he used his brother's weaknesses to his advantage, and came out on top. Though he was imprisoned shortly after, someone came to visit Taoth and he was freed. It is unclear where his brother is now, but he has become an Oathbreaker and a traitor, as he had sworn himself to the Sunguard and the Horde as Raserus did. Today, Raserus is rebuilding his House, and his bakery currently feeds and gains coin for his family while everyone gets back on their feet, and all work diligently to re-establish themselves and their trades. All his former wealth is gone, squirreled away by his now missing brother. As Fate seems to enjoy, it appears his marriage was ended before the recent campaign in Northrend, and a child remains, the result of his union. Bitter and angry, he grows more reckless by the day. Only time will tell if some one or some thing can pull him from his destructive path.Category:Characters Category:Sunspears